Second Chance Heat
Ella J. Smyth
Careful what you wish for!
* * *
We finally made it out of the academy. Struggling with a devastating loss, I thought things were looking up. Especially after we were rescued by the magical FBI.
* * *
Turns out my old enemies are still hunting us. And new forces have joined them, intent to drain us of our powers. Since nobody survives the procedure, we're not planning on getting captured.
* * *
Remember what they say about best laid plans?
* * *
Yeah. About that.
* * *
So here we are again. Struggling against overwhelming odds. And the damned cat still isn't helping!
* * *
I wished I was back behind the safe walls of the Second Chance Academy...
Contents
Newsletter
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Note from the Author
Also by Ella J. Smyth
About the Author
Disclaimer
Newsletter
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www.ellajsmyth.com/links
1
Amber
How would you feel if you went to sleep, clutching your cat to your chest, and woke up to a gorgeous guy in your bed instead? And did I mention he was naked?
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
I screamed at the top of my voice, scrambling away from the stranger. My boyfriend Lance had slept behind me, plastered against the wall in the single bed. He pushed me forward toward the edge of the mattress to give himself space to defend my honor.
My other boyfriend Kiernan, newly wounded, groggily rubbed his eyes as he sat up in the other bed. I didn’t blame him. The Academy healer had drugged him to help him heal from an injury he’d acquired the day before.
Spooked by the hullabaloo, the stranger fell to the floor. Maybe I’d helped him along when I kicked to get him away from me. Either way, he scrambled as quickly as humanly possible to hide under Kiernan’s bed.
That’s when I realized something wasn’t right. Ignoring the man’s butt sticking in the air as he pushed and shoved to get his muscled torso under the frame, I inched closer.
“Who the fuck are you?” Lance had grabbed a lamp and positioned himself to whack the man over the head if need be. The strange man gave up his futile struggle and curled into a ball.
Our gazes locked, and my eyes widened. For a moment, time contracted until all that existed was the thrumming of the heartbeat in my throat.
Because I knew those baby blues. I’d stared into them every day for months. Carefully, I stretched out my hand to… what? Reassure him? Gentle him?
Because those eyes? They belonged to my cat.
* * *
Julian
* * *
Apparently, ghosts don’t sleep. I’d never given it much thought, but it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. After following Amber and my friends back to their room, I’d busied myself traveling through walls until I got good at it.
Actually, it was pretty cool. I could stick my hands through the brick and see them through the window. I also pushed my torso through the door and pretended I was stuck. It turned old fast, though.
I was so bored. My friends were exhausted. Kiernan was out light a light, drugged to the gills by the healer. Lance had slipped into Amber’s bed and pulled her against his chest. He’d fallen asleep immediately, his arms possessively wrapped around her body. Amber had stared into the dark for a long time before she relaxed and her eyes fell shut.
Did I mention I could see in at night-time? Again, a cool new power of mine, but useless, since I wasn’t actually alive and couldn’t tell anybody about it.
The only exciting thing during the night was when Slug had turned into a person. At first, I’d been bummed because he’d been the only one who knew I existed, but I was happy for him. He never even woke up, and neither did Lance, who’d no idea there were three people in the narrow bed.
I grinned, looking forward to the drama when they realized something was very wrong. But until then, I had hours to float in the dark and think. I watched the moon crawl across the black sky from one side of the window to the other. And slowly, against my will, I remembered.
The triumph when I’d overpowered the Fae nobleman who’d come for Amber. The searing pain when his dagger had cut into my flesh and pushed deep into my body. I’d known at that moment I wouldn’t survive. The unstoppable violation of the sharp metal had torn open vital organs, and the flow of blood from wound had burned away my life force.
First, I’d been too shocked to move. The anger at the bastard getting the better of me had given me strength for a few moments. But soon, as I’d grown weaker, I’d surrendered to my fate.
Strangely, I’d felt at peace. There’d been nothing I could have done other than relax and die. And that’s what I did.
Imagine my surprise when my heart had stilled, but I hadn’t. Call it my soul, my essence, whatever it was, had retained my memories and my mind. I loved Amber as deeply as before and still felt the same affection for Kiernan and Lance. Slug was a new player in our group, but I was willing to give him a chance. Especially if I could communicate with him.
When Slug twitched after sunrise, I got ready to witness the aftermath of his transformation.
And man, was I not disappointed. Amber screamed and kicked him out of bed. Slug dashed for his hiding place. I was appreciating the comedy of Slug’s human ass stuck in the air when something flitted past me.
I turned my head, but it had disappeared. Maybe it’d been a shadow. But when I looked back at Amber calming down her hysterical former cat, I saw it again in my peripheral vision. It didn’t belong here. A diffuse shape, like smoke from burning oil. I focused on it, and then there was a murmur.
“He’s pretty,” the voice said.
“And so is she,” another whisper sounded from my other side.
Okay, so there were two of whatever they were. I ignored the scene playing out in front of me and asked, “Who are you?”
The voice to my right giggled closer to me. “We could have fun with him, couldn’t we?”
“Oh, yes. We could. He wouldn’t even know until it’s too late. The things we would do to him. But once we’re done with him, he wouldn’t be pretty anymore. Oh, no.”
I suppressed a shudder as I stared around me, trying to find them. They were creeping me out, and I didn’t want them anywhere
near me.
Amber
“Slug? Is that you?”
The man’s reaction would have been priceless if the situation hadn’t been so surreal. His mouth dropped open, and his lips moved, as if he tried to speak. The only sound emerging was a long, drawn-out yowl.
“What’s happening? Why is he making that noise?” Lance had stepped next to me, still brandishing his makeshift weapon. I turned, briefly distracted by his toned thighs and general nakedness. Not the time, Amber.
“Look at his eyes.”
Lance squinted. “What about his eyes?”
I squatted and placed a hand on the scared man’s shoulder. “Hey. Do you remember how you got here?”
The guy shook his head. He was about our age with dark hair. His arms and legs were tucked as he curled himself inward. Scars all over his body showed white against his reddish-brown skin. He’s the same color as Slug’s fur.
The thought sprang me into action. I didn’t know how, but I was dead sure my cat had turned into a man. I also knew his real name. “You’re Macha.”
His head flew up, his nostrils flared, and his eyes widened. The next moment, Macha jumped up with incredible agility and raced for the door. It happened so fast, none of us had moved by the time he tried to open it. Banging the handle with his fist, he was getting frustrated. The only reason he wasn’t sprinting down the hallway with his junk flailing in the wind was that he’d apparently forgotten how to use his hands.
Lance finally shook off his shock and sprang into action. He grabbed Macha by the arm and pulled him away from the door. The man froze. Then all hell broke loose.
2
Amber
Macha whirled towards Lance and scratched him across his cheek, hissing loudly. My boyfriend let go of his arm. “I’m only trying to help, asshole!”
I approached the two boys, facing off against each other. “Macha. Hey. Calm down. We’re not going to hurt you.”
“Speak for yourself,” Lance muttered while dabbing his face to check if he was bleeding.
“He’s just scared.” I kept my voice soothing and low.
Macha’s gaze followed me without blinking as I stepped closer. When I got within a few feet of him, I stopped. We stared at each other. His scrutiny never wavered. His eyes had always been remarkable—full of intelligence that had seemed out of place when he’d been my pet.
There was something else familiar about the way he didn’t blink. He’s trying to outstare me. If I’d had any doubt who was standing in front of me, that would have clinched it. Slug loved outstaring me. He won every time.
When I blinked first, a triumphant grin flashed across his face. It was immediately replaced by wariness and confusion, but I’d seen enough. “Slug. Stop acting like a spoiled pussy cat. Come here, you smelly monster.”
I opened my arms, and with an audible sigh of relief, Macha jumped into them.
Which was a huge mistake on both of our parts. I’d instinctively invited him in, but what chance did I have to catch a fully grown man?
The next thing I knew, I was on my back on the ground, pinned down by the human cat. This wasn’t the first time it had happened. My pet had never been a dainty creature. But instead of soft fur, I clutched warm, naked skin. My head spun with the conflicting sensations of a big, muscly body above me, and the hard floor under me. Groaning, I shoved my palms against his chest to get him to move.
Macha’s tongue laved the underside of my chin, just like he always had when I’d cuddled him. Only now, instead of the rasping of a cat’s tongue, a human mouth latched on to my skin.
“Get up.” Lance tugged on Macha’s arm. With some effort, he pulled him into a sitting position.
Macha hissed but didn’t fight back. He crossed his arms protectively, sticking his hands under his armpits. Lance pushed him toward my bed, and Macha immediately curled up under the blanket until only his dark hair was visible. Kiernan, Lance, and I stared at each other for several moments.
Finally, I asked, “Okay. So my cat has turned into a person. What the actual fuck is going on?”
Lance avoided my glance, instead throwing a dirty look at Macha under his cover. There was no sound or movement from the lump in my bed. I whispered so Macha wouldn’t hear me. “Does this happen a lot? People turning into animals and back again?”
Kiernan groaned as he shifted in his bed. He favored his uninjured shoulder, although he seemed better than yesterday. Whatever the medic had given him had accelerated his healing. Then he settled into a new position. “No. It’s super rare. Takes a lot of power, too. Imagine turning every one of your molecules into a different species.”
“But aren’t all mammals pretty similar at a genetic level? Like apes are 99% identical to us.”
“Maybe it’s easier to swap out a comparable body mass. But a cat into a human, or vice versa? I don’t know.”
“I always thought there was something weird about Slug. Like he was smarter than a normal cat.”
“Well, he’s not a cat anymore.” Lance’s raised eyebrow indicated he wasn’t entirely happy about that.
Kiernan groaned like an old man as he struggled to stand up. He scratched at the edge of the bandage that held his wound coverings in place. Slowly, he bent to pick up his pants off the floor.
“Do you need help with that?” I asked.
He didn’t react, fumbling with the top button of his jeans. Lance and I watched him struggle, but we didn’t know whether he’d appreciate us helping him.
Eventually, Lance stepped up. “Let me do it.”
Kiernan moved his hands out of the way, and Lance quickly slipped the button through the hole. Then he helped him with his shirt.
When Kiernan was fully dressed, he continued his explanation. “I read metamorphoses are so powerful, the new body eventually overrides the old programming. So basically, depending on how long Slug was a cat, he may have lost his human mind.”
I’d never heard of—what had he called it? Metamorphosis? It took me a moment to understand what Kiernan had actually said. Then my hand flew to my mouth. “Oh, my God. Is he a cat inside a human body?”
“No idea. The FBMA usually takes care of it.”
“What does that mean?” My stomach twisted itself into knots. I had a bad feeling about this.
“They put them down, I think. Once their minds are absorbed, that’s it. They can’t be rehabilitated, so...” Lance’s voice trailed off as he made the cut-throat gesture.
A pitiful mewl emerged from the blanket nest. My chest squeezed tight as I imagined my cat being dragged off and killed like, well, like an animal.
“Over my dead body.” I stood up and sat on my bed. “Hey, kitten.”
Kiernan burst out laughing. “Whatever happened to ‘smelly monster’?”
“Shut up. I’m trying to be nice.” My ears felt hot, but I ignored it. My friend needed me. Slowly, I pulled the cover back. Macha was curled into a ball, his hands and face tucked in tightly. Only the twitching of his eyelids betrayed his agitation.
* * *
Julian
* * *
I floated below the ceiling, watching the scene from above. There was no doubt in my mind that the guy was in fact Slug. It was so obvious, Lance’s behavior was pissing me off.
Just as Amber drew the cover off Macha’s face, Lance pulled her back. “Amber, stop. You don’t even know if he’s really your cat. What if he’s another assassin?”
Amber stepped back to put some distance between Lance and herself. She crossed her arms as she did when she was losing her temper. “I know exactly who he is. He’s Slug. Actually, his real name is Macha. Farkas called him that one night when she taunted him. I bet she’s the one who turned him.”
Lance’s face was like thunder. “I can’t believe, after everything we’ve come through, you would still be so trusting.”
Amber was about to say something else, but Lance raised his hand to cut her off. “I don’t care. You go play house with this guy, and I�
��ll be in my room. Find me when you come to your senses.”
Before anybody was able to react, he slammed the door behind him. Amber looked helplessly at Kiernan. “What the hell crawled up his ass?”
Kiernan shrugged, then winced. “Shit, this injury is driving me nuts.”
Carefully, he walked the few steps until he stood next to Amber, looking down at Macha. The boy’s eyelashes twitched, betraying the fact he wasn’t asleep.
Amber tried again, reaching out her hand and running a fingertip down Macha’s face. She whispered, “You are my Slug, aren’t you?”
I was waiting for Masha to either nod or ignore Amber’s gesture, but instead, he placed his cheek in Amber’s palm. Then he rubbed against her a few times until she got the message and scratched behind his ear.
“Oh.” She said it so quietly, I barely heard her. Her gaze lifted and found Kiernan’s. Her eyes were swimming with tears as she lifted Macha’s hair back and revealed his ear.
It was damaged, shredded, just like I remembered the big tomcat’s ear. Here was the proof: the guy was definitely Slug, Amber’s smelly tomcat.
I’d nearly forgotten about the disembodied voices until one whispered fiercely into my ear. “What these people are doing is no longer your concern. Get used to it. You’re a ghost now.”
Second Chance Heat, a reverse harem magical academy HEA paranormal romance: Book Four of the Second Chance Academy Series Page 1